The invention to which this application relates is a customer interface unit for use in premises and for use to provide various services to a customer such as a resident of said premises and particularly although not exclusively, is a unit for use in conjunction with metering facilities for the consumption of at least one of the utilities of electricity, gas, water and telephone.
A utility consumption, measuring system is described in the Applicant's co-pending European Patent Application No. EP0834849 and in this application there is disclosed a system which comprises a utility metering apparatus in a premises and from which the meter information is transferred into digital form and then transmitted to a remote location to a utility provider to allow the metering information to be received and processed and/or also to a television or home computer or monitor in the metering apparatus within the premises to allow the occupier of the premises to view the meter information.
It has now been found that further advantages can be provided to the occupier of the premises, both in the presentation of the information and the utilisation of the information to provide further data and it is an aim of the invention to provide a interface unit and system which allows the utility provider and utility user to be able to communicate to the mutual benefit of both.